Kurdish fighters killed in clashes

Five Kurdish fighters, including a woman, have been killed in a battle with Turkish security forces in the country's troubled southeast.

23 Jul 2005 12:22 GMT

Kurdish groups are accused of Aegean Sea resorts' bombings

"Ten dead terrorists were seized with their guns in the same region on July 16. As a result, the number of dead terrorists seized in the last 10 days rose to 15," said a statement from the governor of Sirnak province on Saturday.

Operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were continuing in the region where the five were killed, the statement said.

The clashes come after increasing violence blamed on Kurdish fighters, who are believed to have also attacked tourist resorts in recent weeks in addition to traditional military targets in mostly-Kurdish southeastern Turkey.

Kurdish groups are accused of bombing two Aegean Sea resorts. Five people were killed and 13 others were wounded on 16 July in the Aegean Sea town of Kusadasi.

The PKK has fought for an ethnic homeland in eastern Turkey since 1984. More than 30,000 people have died in the conflict.